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Thai Bamboo Cuisine
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
34 reviews for Thai Bamboo Cuisine
Review Highlights
"...yummy peanut dressing), a tiny egg roll and your heaping..."
(in 3 reviews)
"I usually order one of their curries with brown rice."
(in 3 reviews)
"...followed in the footsteps of its chicken curry counterpart."
(in 13 reviews)
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34 reviews in English
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Review from Cyrus G.
Los Angeles, CA
1/29/2012
We order from here all the time and love it.
I cant see how this place could get a rating less than 5 stars on the food department (yes the ambiance is minimal, what do you expect from such a low cost place?). People who order and talk about Pad Thai are obviously new to Thai food.
Their Pad Kee Mow is awesome and so is their papaya salad and coconut milk soup. We are vegetarians and maybe that is why we have a better luck here?! Not sure. -
Review from Gail A.
Los Angeles, CA
11/20/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Hands down, the best lunch deal near my office, but don't expect good quality Thai food. For only $7, I get chicken yellow curry with a small side salad, tiny egg roll and rice. It's the perfect serving for me, so it may be a little sparse for normal eaters because I tend to eat small portions. They offer 15 lunch specials, including a small variety of curries and other popular Thai options like pad thai.
The restaurant itself is small. Sometimes, I eat in by myself to escape the office for a bit, which isn't too awkward because they have a couple of tables to accommodate solo eaters. The usual waiter is polite, but you may have to work to get his attention when it's busy. For take out, they prepare the food pretty quickly. -
Review from Eyal D.
Los Angeles, CA
11/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
We came to Thai Bamboo on a Monday evening. We usually pass by this restaurant, and have avoided it thus far because it is usually empty at night. We finally decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. Despite some not-so-great reviews on Yelp, we're glad that we did.
The place is relatively small, and was mostly empty in the evening, but to our benefit, the service was great, and the food was delicious. We ordered the Tom Yum Veggie Soup (delicious), followed by Pad Thai with Veggies, and Eggplant with Tofu. The food was delicious, noodles were not too soft, not too chewy (just right), well seasoned, and the food was not greasy.
I noticed a pretty young woman come in and have dinner with her parents (who own the restaurant). Family that eats together, stays together. There is something about family-owned businesses that touches my heart. We finished our meal, said our thank you, and the pretty young woman with the beautiful smile acknowledged it (yes, a beautiful smile leaves an impression!). Cost of dinner: $27 for two with a lot of food. Well worth it.
Overall, a very good Thai restaurant. I will be back, and I would encourage anyone to give Thai Bamboo a try. -
Review from Susan W.
Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2012
Pad Thai is great..lunch specials are a great value and big portions. Delivery is quick as well
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Review from Vitali L.
Santa Monica, CA
10/14/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Have been here a few times. My co-worker is a big fan of Thai food so we frequent here for lunch. While I am not a huge fan of Thai food, I don't mind coming here. The place is a little small, but it feels nice even when it's busy.
We normally go for the lunch specials and they have 10-15 options to pick from (might switch it up once we run out of options). The options are pretty diverse. You can get anything from broccoli in oyster sauce, to pad thai and 4-5 options of different curries. All that comes with a choice of meat, tofu or shrimp, and a salad with delicious peanut dressing (note the dressing is not as thick as you might expect in a Malaysian type place but is great for my taste), and some rice. The salad is a little simple, it's generally some lettuce, a slice of tomato, some carrot shavings (maybe something else i don't really pay that much attention to the salad)... in short, it's not the highlight of the meal. That being said, the salad comes out very quickly, so it's a nice little appetizer to have while waiting for the meal.
The rice works great if you get a curry or something like broccoli, though it is a little awkward since you get it even if you order pad thai or another noodle dish. You however do not have to eat it, so not really a complaint.
The dishes I had so far were pretty good. Note that it's not a fancy dinner place where you expect something extraordinary. It's good Thai food for a reasonable price. With the amount of options they have you gotta try this place for lunch if you are in the area. -
Review from Chris L.
Los Angeles, CA
8/31/2011
Thai Bambooo is a within walking distance of where I live. I like to go running after work and am usually starving afterward. Figured I get some quick and easy eats here after staring at the neon sign in their window for about 3 minutes straight.
Ordered chicken and shrimp pad thai and papaya salad - food was ready in about ten minutes and I was really excited until I shoved a chopstick full of salad into my mouth. Salty salty salty! I love salty goodness, but it was just too much vinegar-fishsauce-sugar for me to enjoy. I was so hungry I still managed to pound the rest of the salad and about 2/3 of the pad thai. 4 glasses of water later, I decided enough was enough.
It is rare that I don't finish everything on my plate - I may try Thai Bamboo again to see if my experience was a fluke, but I dunno, there are so many other good restaurants nearby, it may be a while before I check back in here. -
Review from Alice T.
Santa Monica, CA
8/25/2011
I and my boy friend were in hurry and starving. We finally ended up here after we tried to dine in at Pho 99, our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, but it closed. The Red curry was ...oh my goodness... tasted like the chief, I guess it's she, accidently poured sugar instead of salt. The papaya salad was sweeet and tasted strange like I haven't had in my life. It might be spoiled tamarine juice or something. I don't understand why Thai food in America is sweet. I've been brainwashed that Thai food is sweet, but actually it's not. I think my cooking, which is terrible, may be better than this!
You folks should better go to Thai town (or Thailand for the best) -
Review from Celina M.
Los Angeles, CA
2/10/2011
Thai Bamboo is quick and fairly cheap Thai food.
Nothing here is "terrible," but nothing is "good" either. Pad thai was overly greasy. The green curry seemed watery. The chicken in the Tom Yum Gai soup was overcooked and chewy and the broth didn't taste quite right. Having eaten my way around Thailand in 2009 for a little over a month, I feel like this place is doing a disservice to Thai food.
I've only ordered from this place twice, both times as a last resort when it was pretty late and we didn't want pizza. But I definitely never crave Thai Bamboo's food and will probably avoid ordering from here again if I can help it.
Overall, wouldn't recommend this place unless you're in a pinch and can't find a better place to drop $30 to $40 for dinner for two. -
Review from Rita W.
Glendale, CA
3/6/2011
Another restaurant that is within a block from where I work, so props for it's convenient location to me, haha.
My usuals are the typical Pad Se Ew or the Pad Thai without peanuts. There hasn't been a time when those two dishes were worse than tasty, so I am rather happy. I get the dishes with tofu usually because I'm not that big of a fan of their chicken, and I don't get to get tofu that much on a regular basis.
A few other dishes that I've tried here are: green curry, yellow curry, and pad woo sen. I agree with some other yelpers that Thai Bamboo's curries are pretty water (boo), but at least they aren't super bland or anything. They even gave me a bunch of potato (potatoes are yum and wow, I can't believe I can't do the less than 3 symbol of heart here because the less than sign got rejected) one time when I ordered their yellow curry lunch special, so wooooo... :D
Oh yeah, their lunch specials. Great meal deal for around $8 including your personal share of tip, or $9 when I got that extra dollar in my wallet. It comes with rice and an egg roll, but unfortunately, the egg roll doesn't come with dipping sauce.
The service here has never disappointed my friends and I, so we frequent this place during our lunch hour.
They have great thai tea as well, but it is rare to mess thai tea up. -
Review from Yi Z.
8/4/2010
For Brentwood, a $6.95 sit down lunch should be considered an excellent value. There are a plethora of lunch special choices for that price, but if you get shrimp or scallop, be ready to shell out another $2. The food is decent, the service is decent and the price is decent. The only problem is - Siam Chan a mile away on Santa Monica Blvd. has better food for only $4.95.
A real Asian (like me) would never order rice with noodles. Only one starch per meal is necessary. It made me personally uncomfortable to see the order of Pad Thai come with rice but perhaps I am the only one bothered by this small issue. I ordered the Green Curry and it has proven to be a dependable choice over the years.
I was extra hungry today so I also ate the starter salad and miniature egg roll included in the meal. The lettuce was not fresh and the egg roll was completely vegetarian. If you're only moderately hungry, I would recommend skipping these bonus items. -
Review from Tisha V.
Los Angeles, CA
6/23/2010
The low-down...
Quick.
Brown rice.
Very well priced.
Walking distance from the office, and close enough so I'm not sweating.
Ordered the Green Curry.
Nice and spicy.
Delish.
I'm going back on Monday with my crew. -
Review from christa y.
West Hollywood, CA
9/28/2010
A solid "meh". OK once and a while, but I always leave wishing it were just a *little* better, especially since it's attached to my lovely workplace.
Pad thai is usually my benchmark a) because it's my favorite dish and b) I studied in Bangkok for 6 months, so I know my @$%*! Thai Bamboo's was average at best... too sweet, slightly mushy and the tofu was steamed, not fried or even lightly browned (ick). But for $6.95? Eh.
I was much more disappointed in the mixed vegetables (also $6.95) which were way too garlicy and otherwise tasteless plus I'd forgotten that the tofu was steamed, not fried. Again, cheap, but when you have no desire to eat the leftovers the next day, suddenly the bargain ain't so great. -
Review from Rick S.
Glendale, CA
10/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
I've eaten here occasionally for several years and each time I've been satisfied. The food is fresh and the service is fast.
It's a small restaurant seating maybe 30 people. But it doesn't feel too small and you can still have a undistracted conversation.
I usually order one of their curries with brown rice. They're always flavorful with just the right amount of spicy heat. Sure, you can go to a more expensive Thai place, pay more and get a little more. But for a quick bite of good Thai food this a great place to eat. -
Review from Simon L.
6/3/2009
My review is for lunch only, although I can't imagine why anyone would come here for dinner. Siam Chan on Santa Monica is a whole lot better.
I eat here pretty often, actually, since it is convenient for work. The prices are okay and generally when I stick to my Combination Fried Rice and Pad See Ew, I am fine. The food tastes good but nothing great. Still, it would have been a solid 3 star place.
However, today I decided to go adventurous and ordered their "House Rice" which is chicken, chinese sausage, and vegetables in gravy over rice. It is absolutely dreadful. It is, in fact, so bad that I can't believe they have it on the menu. Why? I know no one has ever ordered it except me but if it's going to taste like crap, why even offer to serve it at all?
They ruined my lunch. -
Review from Joelle G.
Sherman Oaks, CA
3/8/2010
This place is super close to my apartment and when the craving for Thai calls, I march myself over here.
Prices are good - everything is less than $8 and portions are large (you can easily split it for lunch / dinner). The only downside is it's cash-only for orders less than $15.
I really enjoy the food. It will not blow you away, but it does satisfy cravings. Plus, they only use chicken breast which is a major plus. I usually get the Pad See Ew and it has yet to disappoint. -
Review from Josie D.
2/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I ordered delivery - it's not great, not bad... fairly average... delivers in 30 minutes. Cheap, Ok quality... it's just kind of is what it is. Will do it again if I am hungry.
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Review from Steph M.
Los Angeles, CA
5/25/2011
I only go to this place because it is very convenient - a couple blocks away from my home. The eating area is very small and dimmly lit.
Food is mediocre, but the prices make this place a great value. Service is friendly and I haven't had a bad experience yet! -
Review from Robert M.
2/8/2009
I've had lunch here 7 or 8 times. Although not unbeatable, they are consistent and priced right.
Price: no more than $8 a dish!
Portions: right sized
Service: fast and attentive
Spice: fresh and hot -
Review from Tamar F.
2/15/2009
Disclaimer: If I was just judging the food I'd give it three stars. We have walked past this place on numerous occasions but were always a bit afraid to go in because it was empty at night. I read some yelp reviews and it seemed like it's more of a lunch place, so we decided to go on a Saturday evening. There were a couple of other tables occupied, but the place was more than half-empty. We were seated promptly, but it took a while for a waitress to take our order. I got the tofu pad thai, my boyfriend got a noodle dish that was supposed to have basil, chili peppers, and bean sprouts.
We were served rather quickly, but after that it seemed impossible to find any server (the place is really small, but no one was behind the cash register - I think everyone was in the kitchen) for water refills, etc. Which is kind of a problem when the food is really spicy.
The pad thai was pretty decent. It was a lot drier and gummier than it probably should have been, but had decent heat and good flavor. My boyfriend either got the wrong dish or the description is off, as there was cabbage, pepper, and carrots mixed in... he probably wouldn't have ordered that dish if he knew those ingredients were in there. The price was totally fine - the portions were smaller than at other thai restaurants, but it was filling and just meant less waste.
I could see this place being a good take-out location if you're working in the area... but in terms of a dine-in location, I'd look elsewhere. -
Review from Sean D.
Los Angeles, CA
7/21/2010
My Girlfriend was starving and would have eaten about anything. I came home with food from bamboo thai and ended up sleeping on the floor. Thanks bamboo thai.
Lets get to the review:
Decore- crap
food- crap (totally bland)
waiter- hairy ...maybe not so thai
I had a water....that was the best part.
The two stars are for the cheap price. Please save yourself from sleeping on the floor and dont order from here. Boraan is the way to go!! -
Review from Melissa K.
Los Angeles, CA
9/19/2008
I too work right across the street from Thai Bamboo. My co-workers and I eat here probably every two weeks or so. The pad thai is great, the yellow curry chicken always smells so good (I think I will try yellow curry tofu next time), and the garlic tofu is also good. The lunch specials are very affordable and come with a salad (only iceberg lettuce here, but yummy peanut dressing), a tiny egg roll and your heaping entree. I gorge myself and eat the whole plate even though I could/should save some for later or just leave it all together...Thai Iced Tea is delicious as well!
The place is small and quiet, the servers are very friendly and attentive. -
Review from Julia G.
Studio City, CA
8/14/2009
I advise anyone not to proceed to this kitchen for satisfaction, for it only serves heaping spoonfuls of overcooked noodles, undercooked veggies, old tofu, all together compounded with flavors of low self esteem (absolute bland).
I'm not sure if it's because Bamboo's location is directly adjacent to Stoner Ave. and that's a coincidental omen given to us by the universe, but whoever thinks this place serves good thai food is high as a kite.
One more star because they said my food would take 45 mins to deliver, and they delivered it in 44. Still not worth the punctuality. Plenty of other credible thai restaurants in westwood. -
Review from Christine P.
Los Angeles, CA
7/11/2007
I ordered take-out from here since it's conveniently within walking distance from my office. I had the ground beef noodles, which are flat, wide rice noodles with - wait - ground beef . . . and also plenty of veggies, so I didn't feel completely guilty for ordering out for lunch. When I got there, the staff was very friendly, and there were quite a few people there eating, even by themselves, so maybe I'll bring a book with me sometime and try dining in.
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Review from Moshe H.
West Los Angeles, CA
3/16/2010
Went here for dinner, the place was completely empty.
It was clear the waiter and others in the restaurant had a cold, there was sneezing, etc.
Told the manager, he pretended not to know.
Would not eat here ever again. -
Review from Sirinda S.
Los Angeles, CA
9/12/2008
At first glance of the menu, I was impressed that the food was affordable and appropriately priced (dishes around the $8 range). I had the spicy shrimp fried rice which was surprisingly well spiced (around a 6.5 out of 10 in terms of spiciness) and well flavored. The chicken gra pow (basil chicken) was also tasty. The cook might have gone a little overboard on the sweet and salty flavors in the dishes but at least there were flavors to discern. Parking was a bit of a pain since on street parking in front of the restaurant isn't available during the early evening on week nights, but you can get your parking ticket validated for the garage. Overall, it was tasty food but nothing blew my mind.
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Review from Jennifer R.
San Francisco, CA
2/25/2009
I work nearby, and this place has a great lunch special. A small salad, tiny egg roll, and main dish + rice for less than $10, including tax and tip. I always get the red tofu curry, and it's pretty amazing. Just enough of a kick for me that it's not bland, but I'm also not crying by the second bite. I'm sure they can make stuff hotter if you ask, for those who want it- and other dishes on their menu are probably way hotter. I will fully admit that I'm a wimp. Pretty quick, friendly service, and good food. Parking in the area is crappy, though, so be prepared. Have never been here for dinner, so I have no idea what it's like then. I think it's biggest business is probably the lunch crowd from all the office buildings nearby.
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Review from Mateo L.
Culver City, CA
2/11/2009
Good food, friendly service, quick delivery, great prices and super consistent. I'm down with the yellow curry and the kai koow. Closed on Sundays.
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Review from Lenny L.
Los Angeles, CA
7/17/2009
I ordered my favorite dish: Pad Se Ew with Tofu.
I lacked much flavor.
Only a few pieces of bland broccoli.
Tofu was very average.
Was NOT bad, but probably the worst Pad Se-ew I've ever had. -
Review from TJ K.
Oakland, CA
8/2/2009
I visited a friend last night who lives just down street from this place. She takes out from there often. It's a lunch place mostly and that was apparent since we were the only ones there on a Saturday night at 7:00. That aside, the food was very good. We had the pineapple fried rice, yellow curry chicken and the green papaya salad. All were delicious.
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Review from Ariana P.
Los Angeles, CA
11/29/2010
I too work across the street and eat here with my co-workers or get take out at least once a week. They can make any curry with tofu and it's delish! I love the fact that they have brown rice too. The thai iced teas are great too. It's a family run business with the father managing the place, mother supervising the kitchen and their adult kids working the front - doesn't get any better than that!!!
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Review from Julie S.
Los Angeles, CA
9/16/2009
There's a reason why we eat here once a week. It's our favorite. :) The place is what I'd consider an unknown hole-in-the-wall in LA, which is what I think gives it its charm. However, ordering for delivery, I can see that being an issue. It's a SMALL run place. My husband and I enjoy the Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mow, Yellow Curry, Thai Bamboo Garlic. I admit I am not a fan of the Pad See Ew. Tried it once and never again. This is probably a more Americanized Thai place, but worth a taste.
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Review from Natalie S.
San Francisco, CA
3/31/2008
So I had been a hugemongous fan of Tuk Tuk over on Pico when it came to that bi-monthly craving for some yummy thai food. However, the hike from my comfortable and strategically placed apartment in Brentwood over to central LA was killer! (I know, I'm a lazy LA driver, sue me) Therefore, one night, I built up my courage and against the advice of my good friend's roommate, ordered the yellow and red curry chicken with white rice on the side of course, and a side order of the chicken satay. As my friend and I peeled open each of our styrofoam containers (sorry to those eco-friendly readers) we were nothing short of amazed at the tantalizing tastes that our palates soon began to experience. The curry, a sweet blend of coconut and whatever makes it yellow, paired with my side of rice was mesmerizing. As we ate in silence, only my friend and I could stop and chat if it was to pass a utencil or ask for a napkin. My first bite of the chicken satay? Pure bliss as it followed in the footsteps of its chicken curry counterpart. All I can say is, this experience occurred a couple of months ago and any Tuk Tuk employee will attest that they have not seen nor heard from me since. Thai Bamboo for everyone!
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Review from Jack D.
Los Angeles, CA
8/3/2009
The quality of the food is good. I have had the Pad Thai, which is very good and the garlic chicken, which was OK. A small negative is that the portions are not as large as I usually get when ordering Chinese or other Oriental food. The service was good.
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Review from Navin P.
Los Angeles, CA
11/11/2009
The food is cheap, but rice has to be ordered as a side [which is something I'm not used to]. Food as such is good not great.
